We believe that if we can empower the next generation with the skills to repair and upcycle old clothes, those skills will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
We also believe that teaching children where our clothes come from, and how fun and easy it is to extend the life of old textiles, will be crucial to reversing the huge impact fast fashion has on the world every day.
In 2020, our co-founder Amanda set out to create an online programme to support Design and Technology staff in teaching these important new life-skills in the classroom.
We know how difficult it is to teach DT in larger groups. Teaching five or more complete beginners on sewing machines at once is like trying to teach five children to play their own pianos at the same time - very challenging to say the least!
Eco-Stitch Club was co-founded by Amanda Riley, a creative and an environmentalist. Age 8 she learned to sew on her grandmas sewing machine. She trained in Fashion & Textiles at Kingston and then set out to work in mainstream fashion in Milan, Hong Kong, India & the US.
Working in this sector drew her attention to the enormous waste and pollution fashion was creating. She turned down a top job at Arcadia and vowed never to return fashion land. She dusted off her sewing machine instead to revisit her love of design and make.
She turned her living room into a classroom in 2009 and has been teaching complete beginners aged 8-18 years how to use their hands to upcycle new clothing, accessories & products from old textiles headed for landfill ever since.
Her students have appeared in Vogue, on TV and the Fashion Factory book was published in 2015 by Quadrille. The classes were over subscribed until lockdown when she could no longer teach. Concerned about an ocean of plastic masks she made an instructional video for a face mask that could be upcycled at home. People found it easy to follow.
Encouraged by the media interest, Amanda created the Fashion Rebellion course to reach many more beginners than her studio classes ever could.
Gillian Lipton, Eco-Stitch Club Co-Founder, has always wanted to make a positive impact and started volunteering as soon as she graduated and has done so ever since.
She found ‘her calling’ over 20 years ago, first working for the charity Shelter and then spending the next 15 in Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability roles for numerous fashion retailers including Monsoon, Topshop and Alexander McQueen. While there, she created and led initiatives focused on reducing environmental impacts.
Fifteen years ago, Gillian encountered numerous small ‘eco-ethical’ startups and felt inspired to support them. This led her to establish Style With Heart, an online directory that connected hundreds of what we now call ‘sustainable’ companies directly with consumers. Shortly after, she launched a spin-off website, Boutique With Heart, driven by her passion for jewellery. This website showcased handcrafted creations by British jewellers and a curated selection of vintage jewellery.
Three years ago she also helped set up an organisation with the aim of bringing together residents in her community wanting to positively affect their surroundings. Since then, they have created a community garden in the heart of the local town and collaborated with the local council to rejuvenate a rose garden. Both have increased biodiversity in the area, teaching residents about gardening and the positive impacts this has.
Our goal is to help as many young people as possible benefit from valuable life skills.
Workshops run to date, across UK schools and Amanda's private studio
UK Primary and Seconday Schools have run the programme
Children taught sewing machine skills
Fabric saved from landfill
Book a call with our team today.
Published in 2015 by Quadrille. Featuring many of Amanda’s early fashion factory students. Learn how to upcycle clothing at home.
Fashion Rebellion, the course developed by Amanda that sits behind Eco Stitch Club, has been featured widely in the press:
.avif){kind=logo}
